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Ciaran Kelly

I remember asking Edwin van der Sar about this last year and he said the next step for David de Gea was winning more trophies. And it would be a real shame if the Spaniard did not win the Premier League again or never lifted the Champions League at United.

For me, though, what makes De Gea so special is that he came through so much following that initial adjustment period in 2011 and has gone on to establish himself as the world's best goalkeeper despite having such an unsettled defence in front of him.

To put United's turmoil into perspective, De Gea has worked with five different goalkeeping coaches under five different managers in that time - Eric Steele, Chris Woods, Frans Hoek, Silvino Louro and Emilio Alvarez - yet he has still bailed his side out time and time again.

De Gea still has more than a decade at the top so I can see him ultimately going down as United's greatest ever No.1.

Verdict: De Gea

United correspondent Ciaran Kelly reckons De Gea has more than 10 years left at the top

Tyrone Marshall

It has to be Peter Schmeichel for me. It felt like he revolutionised goalkeeping in England when he arrived at United and some of his saves stand the test of time as the greatest in Premier League history.

He was a fearsome weapon in Sir Alex Ferguson's United teams and on the rare occasions when strikers did get through one-on-one they were then confronted by the Dane, who was the master in those situations, with his giant frame intimidating opposing forwards.

His record of five Premier League titles, three FA Cups and the Champions League are in his favour as well. De Gea has time on his side to get close to Schmeichel, but the Dane is probably the greatest goalkeeper in Premier League history at the moment.

Verdict: Schmeichel

Charlotte Duncker

Three top keepers, but picking the best is a hard one when their strengths lie in different areas. Both Schmeichel and Van der Sar won Champions League trophies during their time at the club so that makes them more successful but does that mean they're better?

De Gea's clean sheet rate is lower than his predecessors too coming in at 37.50% behind Schmeichel's 44.40% and Van der Sar's 48.40% but the biggest difference is that they each had world-class defenders in front of them.

Schmeichel would be a close second for me in this debate but De Gea has to win it based on the number of games he has rescued for United. There's a reason why he's only missed out on the player of the year award once in the past five seasons.

Verdict: De Gea

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Dan O'Toole

On ability alone, De Gea would get the nod from me but it's important to remember that during the time the Spaniard has been regarded the club's most valuable asset - since Sir Alex Ferguson's retirement, more or less - he's had more than his fair share of opportunities to showcase his ability.

The solid defences in front of them meant Van der Sar and Schmeichel rarely had that luxury but the Dane remained a driving force during United's success in the '90s, a figure goalkeepers rarely represent.

There is always the argument that United's past six years would have been far more bleak had De Gea not been between the sticks but players are, rightly or wrongly, judged on their trophy haul and so Schmeichel is, for me, the best goalkeeper in United's history.

Verdict: Schmeichel

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Daniel Murphy

While both Van der Sar and De Gea are both amazing goalkeepers, neither of them were revolutionary like Schmeichel. The great Dane came to Manchester and wasn't only a breathtaking shot-stopper, but he helped change the way United and goalkeepers played.

He brought his own unique style of goalkeeping, which he learned while playing handball, to England and became the pioneer of the ‘star jump’ and the double save. He was also the first goalkeeper to go up for a corner in the last minute and was fittingly the first goalkeeper to score in the Premier League. Not to mention his long, accurate throws helped define United’s counter attacking style.

Then, most importantly, between the sticks he was capable of saves that left you stunned, wondering how on Earth the ball wasn’t in the net. Schmeichel was the Premier League’s first world-class player.

Verdict: Schmeichel

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Liam Corless

All three of them are outstanding goalkeepers but Schmeichel and De Gea are a cut above Van der Sar.

Schmeichel played for United in one of the greatest periods in the club's history and was shielded by far better players than De Gea has been over the past five seasons, so that has inevitably left De Gea with more work to do than the Dane was tasked with.

Schmeichel was a greater physical presence and more decisive in his area than United's current No.1, and he had his miraculous moments, memorably against Rene Wagner, Ivan Zamorano and Dennis Bergkamp, but De Gea's belief-defying saves are in even greater supply.